Models for prediction of Hall Thrusters performance

The purpose of this paper is the development of a numerical model to predict DC Hall thruster performance. The model is almost ideal, since secondary losses are usually neglected, but still useful to understand and calculate the main power losses in the thruster, together with the most important performance parameters such as required power, specific impuse, thrust and consumption. In particular, modellization takes into account the difficulties in vacuum testing, so all the efficiencies are calculated starting from easily measurable quantities. Discharge chamber is modelled in 1-D in order to simplify the study of the plasma physics, ionization and acceleration regions, with a focus on the differences between dielectric and metallic walls discharge chamber. Semi-empirical relations are essentials in this modelingh phase to determine power loss to channel wall (main loss in dielectric wall HT) and to anode due to electron collection (main loss in metallic walls HT). Hollow cathode is studied as well, to understand its heating methods and to estimate the life of the thruster, since cathode and channel wall erosion is the main limit to it. At last, a sizing of the thruster is computed, using Russian thruster Fakel SPT-100 as a reference to estimate thruster performance. The obtained results are greater than real ones, due to the almost ideal model, but provide a good measure of the performance range that can be achieved.